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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Norwegian-flagged ship with 6 Covid-19 infections off Songkla
A Norwegian-flagged ship is currently floating off the coast of Songkla in the south of Thailand with 6 crew members infected with Covid-19. The offshore support vessel is named the Boa Deep C and is currently anchored near Ko Nu Island and awaiting further instructions. A spokesman for the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre confirmed that the boat has been…
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Poll: Work from home popular, reduces Covid-19, helps gov’t
As far as strategies to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infections goes, work from home policies may be the most popular, far more liked than masks and lockdowns. In a recent poll by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, 1,533 people in Thailand were asked about their opinions on working from home. The majority of responses were well in favour of it.…
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Covid UPDATE: 2,302 new infections and 24 deaths, provincial totals
The CCSA have announced 2,302 new infections and 24 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. There’s now been a total of 101,447 infections and 589 deaths since the start of Thailand’s tally on January 18, 2020. More than 64,000 are registered as ‘recovered’. 35,055 people remain under treatment at public and field hospitals. More news briefs on the Covid situation below.…
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Thailand’s colour zones change from Monday – some restrictions ease
From tomorrow we’ll see the resumption of limited dine-in services in restaurants located in the remaining 4 Dark Red zones of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. Restaurants in these 4 provinces will now be able to resume dining on premises, until 9pm. But they can only seat 25% of their full capacity. So, a table for 4 can…
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Bizarre final calls of 2 Southern insurgents killed in standoff
The bizarre final moments are coming to light of 2 insurgents in the south of Thailand that were killed in a standoff after shooting a member of the Thai paramilitary forces. The pair shot the soldier and then retreated to a shack made of corrugated metal while security forces tried to convince them to surrender. But during that time the…
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Stricter Covid-19 rules for Bangkok area construction sites
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has set out instructions to large construction companies and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to implement stricter regulations to curb Covid-19 in worker housing facilities. The decree comes after clusters of outbreaks were found at housing facilities at construction sites in the Wattana and Laksi districts. The CCSA spokesmen cited cramped living conditions and a…
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12 Covid-19 violators busted drinking on Patong Beach
12 violators of Covid-19 restrictions, of Thai and foreign origin, have been arrested and taken into custody by police for gathering and drinking in public on Patong Beach. The Covid-19 measures currently in place in Phuket ban all get-togethers involving alcohol, limiting the number that can drink together to just 2 people. The group were arrested for violating this order…
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Sunday Covid UPDATE: 2,302 new infections and 24 deaths
For Sunday the public health department have announced 2,302 new infections and 24 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. There’s now been a total of 101,447 infections and 589 deaths since the start of Thailand’s tally on January 18, 2020. More than 64,000 are registered as ‘recovered’. • Starting Monday, restaurants in Bangkok, Nonthaburi (immediately north of Bangkok), Pathum Thani, and…
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1,000 to 6,000-patient field hospital opened at IMPACT complex
IMPACT Muang Thong Thani exhibition centre in Nonthaburi has just opened as a massive field hospital that will be supervised by the Public Health Ministry. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda were all in attendance for the launch yesterday. Situated in the northern suburb of Bangkok, the huge commercial complex has ample space…
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Thai public health and tourism ministers on Phuket to push the July 1 Sandbox reopening
Bangkok has sent a couple of ministerial heavyweights to Phuket today to keep pushing the July 1 ‘Sandbox’ bandwagon, insisting that Phuket will open to fully vaccinated tourists from July 1. The Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ,along with the Sports and Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, are doing the island PR tour today delivering a message from…
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Covid UPDATE: 3,095 new infections, 17 deaths, provincial totals
The Thai public health ministry has announced 3,095 new cases of Covid-19 along with 17 new deaths from the past 24 hours of provincial totals. 877 of the new infections emerged from Thai prisons again after 3 days of reports with high numbers of cases coming out of key Bangkok prisons. Provincial totals below. • The CCSA has announced adjustments…
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Phuket may ditch light rail and build smart bus system instead
A proposal to drop the light rail planned for Phuket and replace it with a smart bus system is under an in-depth review as ordered by Phuket Transport Minister. Advocates for the smart bus – automated driverless buses on city streets – say that the project would bring mass transportation to Phuket Island for 15.2 billion baht cheaper than a…
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Man charged with rape of 36 women in Bangkok area
A serial rapist with complaints from 36 female victims from the end of 2020 until the beginning of this month has officially been charged with rape. Mr Denphum Wattanachotipinyo committed rape, theft, fraud, and deception in the Bangkok area and was arrested Wednesday in Sai Mai. He is 39 years old and is believed to be from Nontha Buri. Thonburi…
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Keeping hopes alive – Feeding the people of Phuket | VIDEO
To make contact with Shaun or his team, go to their Facebook page, follow the progress of the project and contact them if you can help. https://www.facebook.com/5StarMarinePhuket After a year of zero foreign tourism, the Thai island of Phuket is now at a critical juncture. There are hundreds of thousands of people, previously employed or sustained from the tourist industry,…
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Buriram sets deadlines for vaccine sign-up, imposes penalties
Buriram is pushing hard to get everyone signed up for Covid-19 vaccination and plan on penalties for any at-risk people who refuse the vaccine. The Issan province in Northeast Thailand bordering Cambodia is now the first province in the country to impose punishments for refusal to vaccinate. The government has been strongly urging everyone living or working in Buriram over…
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506 Covid-19 infections found in Klong Prem Central Prison
Yet another Bangkok prison has reported a Coronavirus outbreak, as Klong Prem Central Prison now confirmed 506 Covid-19 infections. The Corrections Department deputy director-general Dr Weerakit Harnpariphan confirmed that this outbreak was discovered through active screening, and a lot more testing still needs to be done. The prison houses a total population of at least 20,000 inmates amongst the many…
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The Boys in Brown go 2-tone khaki – Thailand’s new police uniform on trial
Elastic waistband and fitted baseball caps – the new height of Thai constabulary haute couture to grace the streets of Thailand. Some law-enforcement super models are currently strutting the streets parading some of the ‘nouveau’ police uniforms. The boys in brown are morphing into the boys in 2-tone khaki with black accessories and utility accents. The move is towards greater…
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Saturday Covid UPDATE: 3,095 new infections, 17 deaths
The Thai public health ministry has announced 3,095 new cases of Covid-19 along with 17 new deaths from the past 24 hours of provincial totals. 877 of the new infections emerged from Thai prisons again after 3 days of reports with high numbers of cases coming out of key Bangkok prisons. • Diners may be able to eat at Dark…
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Family sues Thai PM, CCSA after Covid-infected relative dies
The family of a man who died while infected with Covid-19 is demanding the Thai PM, as well as other government officials, pay millions of baht in compensation, citing “negligence” after calls to Covid-19 hotlines went unanswered or were not of help. 35 year old Kunlasub Watthanaphon died on April 23. Kunlasub is said to have contracted the virus from a…
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Thailand News Today | 8 clusters in Bangkok, Phuket party organisers charged | May 14
Foreigners may face a slight delay in receiving their Covid-19 vaccines, The BMA has now confirmed 8 clusters of Covid infection in the capital, Thai Private Hospital Association is now working to offer a variety of Covid-19 vaccine brands to Thais and Patong police have announced that the managers of the Phuket venues that hosted the Kolour entertainment event swill…
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Is Thailand the best country for digital nomads?
Is Thailand the best country in the world for digital nomads? Some think so. The French travel and tourism operator Club Med recently did a study and found that Thailand tops the list of best countries for digital nomads with Phuket as the number one ‘city’ to live in while working remotely. (We acknowledge that Phuket can hardly be regarded…
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Inmates in Thai prisons to get vaccinated against Covid-19 next month
All inmates in Thai prisons will be vaccinated against Covid-19 starting next month. The announcement of the nationwide prison vaccination campaign follows this week’s outbreaks infecting nearly 3,000 inmates at 2 Bangkok prisons. There have also been outbreaks at prisons in Chiang Mai and the southern province of Narathiwat. At the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok, more than 1,000…
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Thailand urged to join in reducing global prisoners for Covid-19
After it was revealed that nearly 3,000 inmates in Thailand’s prison system have Covid-19, criticism and calls are mounting to follow the global trend of reducing the total number of prisoners in the country. Human rights groups are calling for the release of inmates held on minor charges, with Amnesty International Thailand requesting those in “unnecessary custody to be minimised”…
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Krabi police search for 3 murder suspects after body and car found buried at plantation
Police in Krabi are searching for 3 brothers suspected of shooting a man before dousing his body in acid and setting him on fire. The body of 54 year old Suchart Khaoluan was found buried in a rubber plantation after he was reported missing for 2 weeks. Suchart had been missing since May 3. One of the suspects, 32 year…
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CCSA to discuss Covid-19 zoning tomorrow, restrictions likely to loosen in some provinces
Thailand’s colour-coded zoning for Covid-19 control will be discussed tomorrow by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Some restrictions are likely to be lifted in some provinces, such as the ban on dine-in services at restaurants in “dark red” zones. The colour scale goes from green to dark red, with green provinces reporting no recent Covid-19 infections. Under the current…
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Thai factory owners warned over not following disease control measures
Factory owners in Thailand are being warned to strictly adhere to disease control measures set forth by The Department of Disease Control as the risk of spreading Covid-19 is high in such densely populated buildings. The DDC director-general says the Thai Stop Covid Plus platform has surveyed 1,386 factories so far, finding that 76% of them complied with the measures.…
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Pickup truck catches fire in Chonburi, passengers escape
A pickup truck erupted into a flaming inferno with the occupants narrowly escaping the fire in Phanat Nikhom district of Chon Buri. The driver and passenger managed to climb out of the burning truck and run to safety. Local police received notification of the incident which happened on Suk Prayoon Road in the Kut Ngao subdistrict on Wednesday. By the…
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America sees an easing of mask-wearing for those fully vaccinated
America is seeing an easing of mask wearing rules for those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention announced the new regulation yesterday, which allows those inoculated against the coronavirus, to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. US President Joe Biden, who held a press conference without wearing a…
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Burmese military declares martial law in border city after attack
After blaming attacks on a bank and a police station on armed terrorist the Burmese military Junta has declared martial law in the town of Mindat in Chin State. Ethnic rebels have been increasingly battling the military in these border regions – the Chin State borders India – and about 100 people were reported over the last 2 days to…
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Hua Hin plans to vaccinate residents next month, reopening eyed for October
Next month, 350,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses are planned to be sent to Hua Hin to vaccinate residents and those who work in the tourism industry. As part of the Hua Hin Recharge project, the vaccinations prepares the popular beachside town in the Prachuap Khiri Khan province for the reopening to foreign tourists. The Committee of National Tourism Policy recently approved…
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